Brand safety is a crucial practice in the world of programmatic advertising, aimed at ensuring that a brand’s ads appear in safe, appropriate online environments. As digital advertising becomes more automated, the risk of ads showing up next to controversial or harmful content increases, which can negatively affect brand perception and customer loyalty.
What is Brand Safety?
Brand safety refers to the strategies and technologies used to protect a brand’s reputation by ensuring its ads don’t appear alongside inappropriate or controversial content. This involves monitoring where ads are placed online to avoid associations with topics that could damage the brand’s image, such as hate speech, illegal activities, or fake news.
Why Is It Important?
In the era of programmatic advertising, where ad placements are automated and happen in real-time, brands are at a higher risk of having their ads appear on websites or alongside content that contradicts their values. Research indicates that 70% of consumers are less likely to purchase or recommend a brand if its ads appear near offensive or controversial content.
For example, imagine a brand promoting family-friendly products having their ads unintentionally shown on a website filled with explicit or violent content. This mismatch can erode customer trust and lead to public backlash.
How Does It Work?
Brand safety solutions identify unsafe online environments and prevent ads from being placed there. These tools scan websites and flag content based on categories like adult content, terrorism, or piracy. Most demand-side platforms (DSPs) now integrate with brand safety vendors, allowing advertisers to set custom filters for risk levels and content categories they want to avoid.
When an ad placement is deemed unsafe, the brand safety solution blocks the ad from being shown, ensuring that your campaigns only appear on safe, appropriate platforms.
Key Benefits of Brand Safety Solutions
- Protection from Reputation Damage: A strong brand safety strategy keeps your brand away from controversial content, helping to safeguard its reputation.
- Consumer Trust: Ads placed in safe environments are more likely to convert, as they avoid negative associations with harmful content.
- Cost Efficiency: While there’s a small added cost for using brand safety tools, this investment is minimal compared to the potential damage to your brand’s image.
Popular Providers
Some of the most trusted brand safety verification providers in the market include:
- DoubleVerify
- Integral Ad Science (IAS)
- White Ops
- Pixelate
These platforms offer a range of features, from content filtering to real-time monitoring, allowing brands to maintain full control over their ad placements.
Enhancing Brand Safety in Programmatic Campaigns
To maximize the effectiveness of brand safety, consider integrating third-party tools into your advertising platforms. Many DSPs offer partnerships with brand safety providers, enabling you to select categories of content you want to avoid. It’s important to remember that the cost per thousand impressions (CPM) for using brand safety tools is minimal, but the benefits for long-term brand health are significant.
